From Small-Town News to Gatekeeper to the Stars of DTC

As a gatekeeper for some of the hottest names among digitally native startups at communications agency The Lead PR, Casey McDonald has his finger on the pulse of what's happening in the direct-to-consumer world. Not only does he manage media relations for accounts such as menswear label Mack Weldon and athleisure brand Vuori, but he has also snared new business for his firm, including fast-growing men's skin care line Lumin and beverage company Olipop. This past spring, McDonald's hard work led to a promotion to vice president, where he manages a team across the agency's New York and Los Angeles offices. "On any given morning, I might find myself drafting an annual strategy for an apparel brand, pitching a story about cryptocurrency in a foreign market, facilitating a high-stakes media interview and building a new business proposal all within a few hours," McDonald said. His interest in public relations tracks back to his freshman year in college, when a class on the subject convinced him to switch from sociology and criminal justice majors. "I was always captivated by the entertainment industry and media," McDonald acknowledged. His path to working in the industry hubs of New York and Los Angeles was not a direct one, however. After college, McDonald took a job at a local TV news station in West Virginia producing the 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. newscasts. "I'd be in the news station by myself overnight, sitting next to the scanner, building the newscast for the morning,” he recalled. And if news broke, he would have to go out and shoot footage. "Being gay, working the overnight shift in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where you don't know anybody, was a pretty bleak situation for me," he admitted. Luckily for McDonald, his wait was not long. While working at the TV station, he had maintained a relationship with a communications firm in New York until a position became available. After stints at Gutenberg and Factory PR, he found his way to The Lead PR in 2016, which at the time was a budding 2-year-old agency. With the opportunity to quickly prove himself at a still-growing firm, founders Jeffrey Schneider and Brenner Thomas sent him to gain a foothold in Los Angeles. “We are really thoughtful about who we work with,” McDonald said, “and not just from a profitability standpoint or, ‘Is this going to be newsworthy?’" Big mistake Waiting too long to ask for help, especially while moving up the ladder. “I eventually found myself spread far too thin, involved in too many aspects of the business and dancing with burnout,” he said. Lesson learned “Agency work is a team sport, and I’m lucky to have wonderful colleagues who I can trust to oversee certain things that I no longer have bandwidth for.” How he got the gig In 2016, he connected with a recruiting agency in New York. “I explained what I was looking for both professionally and culturally,” he recalled, and a recruiter put him in touch with The Lead. Pro tip Slow down: "There is endless value to be gained by taking a deep breath, taking your to-do list one step at a time and genuinely listening to what your clients, teammates and industry contacts are saying.”

Leadership & Talent

From Small-Town News to Gatekeeper to the Stars of DTC

At The Lead PR, Casey McDonald manages media relations for some of the hottest digitally native startups

Richard Collings

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Richard Collings